- Roman Catholic Diocese of Kilmore
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Diocese of Kilmore
Dioecesis Kilmorensis
The Cathedral of St. Patrick and St. Felim in Cavan, the episcopal seat of the bishops of Kilmore.Location Territory Most of County Cavan, parts of counties Leitrim, Fermanagh, Meath and Sligo Ecclesiastical province Province of Armagh Metropolitan Mostly in the Republic of Ireland, and partly in Northern Ireland Statistics Area 850 sq mi (2,200 km2) Population
- Catholics
57,024Information Denomination Roman Catholic Rite Latin Rite Established 1152 Cathedral St Patrick and St Felim's Cathedral, Cavan Patron saint St Patrick and St Felim Current leadership Pope Pope Benedict XVI Bishop Philip Leo O'Reilly,
Bishop of KilmoreMetropolitan Archbishop Cardinal Seán Baptist Brady,
Archbishop of ArmaghMap 
The Diocese of KIlmore, shown in cream,
within the Province of ArmaghWebsite kilmorediocese.ie The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kilmore (Irish: Deoise An Chill Mhór; Latin: Dioecesis Kilmorensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese which is mainly in the Republic of Ireland although a few parishes are in Northern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses which are subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh.[1][2] The present Bishop is the Most Reverend Philip Leo O'Reilly, Bishop of Kilmore, who was installed on 15 November 1998.[3]
Contents
Ecclesiastical history
The diocese was originally called Triburnia or Tybruinensis (Tir Briuin, the land of the clan of Brian, King of Connaught).[4] It was formally established at the Synod of Kells in 1152. The boundaries of the diocese are approximately the same as those of the ancient Kingdom of Breifne;[5] which today consists of almost all of County Cavan, roughly the northern half of County Leitrim, and parts of County Fermanagh, County Meath and County Sligo.
In the sixth century St. Felim, the patron of the diocese, established a church at Kilmore, about 4 miles (6 km) south of Cavan Town. In 1454, Bishop Aindrias Mac Brádaigh (Andrew McBrady) had this ancient church rebuilt and was given permission by Pope Nicholas V to be the cathedral of the diocese. It became to be known in Irish as An Chill Mhór (meaning The Great Church), which gave its name to the diocese, a name which has remained ever since.
Kingdom of Ireland
During the English Reformation, the diocese lost the cathedral and all other temporalities. After a period of two hundred years of uncertainty, Bishop Denis Maguire (1770–98) gave new stability to the diocese and started the process of rebuilding both discipline and churches. Bishop James Browne (1827–65) continued with this work and founded the diocesan college in 1839. Bishop Patrick Lyons (1937–49) had the old Roman Catholic Cathedral in Cavan rebuilt between 1938 and 1942, which is dedicated to Saints Patrick and Felim and is built in the neoclassical style with a spire of 230 ft (70.1 m).[5][6]
Ordinaries
Main article: Bishop of KilmoreThe following is a basic list of the bishops of Kilmore since 1728.[7]
- Michael MacDonagh, O.P. (1728–1746)
- Laurence Richardson, O.P. (1747–1753)
- Andrew Campbell (1753–1769)
- Denis Maguire, O.F.M. (1770–1798)
- Charles O'Reilly (1798–1800)
- James Dillon (1800–1806)
- Farrell O'Reilly (1807–1829)
- James Browne (1829–1865)
- Nicholas Conaty (1865–1886)
- Bernard Finegan (1886–1887)
- Edward MacGennis (1888–1906)
- Andrew Boylan, C.SS.R. (1907–1910)
- Patrick Finegan (1910–1937)
- Patrick Lyons (1937–1949)
- Austin Quinn (1950–1972)
- Francis McKiernan (1972–1998)
- Philip Leo O'Reilly (since–1998)
See also
- Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh (Church of Ireland)
References
- ^ Archdiocese of Armagh. Retrieved on 16 January 2009.
- ^ Diocese of Kilmore: Homepage. Retrieved on 16 January 2009.
- ^ Diocese of Kilmore: The Bishop. Retrieved on 16 January 2009.
- ^ St. Feithlimidh's Cathedral, Kilmore. Retrieved on 16 January 2009.
- ^ a b Kilmore: The Diocese. Retrieved on 16 January 2009.
- ^ Cathedral of Saints Patrick and Felim, Cavan. Retrieved on 16 January 2009.
- ^ Diocese of Kilmore. Catholic-Hierarchy website. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
Roman Catholic dioceses in Ireland Province of Armagh Archdiocese of Armagh · Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise · Diocese of Clogher · Diocese of Derry · Diocese of Down and Connor · Diocese of Dromore · Diocese of Kilmore · Diocese of Meath · Diocese of RaphoeProvince of Cashel Province of Dublin Province of Tuam Categories:- Roman Catholic Diocese of Kilmore
- Religion in County Cavan
- Dioceses established in the 12th century
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